Chennai City FC perfecting the art of scouting and transfers

BetOdds I-League Chennai City

Player sales aren't setbacks for Chennai City who have mastered the art of unearthing gems...

A club can spend lots of money and build a squad full of stars. But there's a more challenging way to run a club, but also one that's more rewarding and indicative of its commitment to the future - by creating stars. I-League club Chennai City fall in the second category.

Indian Super League (ISL) club Bengaluru FC recently announced the signing of full-back Ajith Kumar from Chennai City. The 23-year-old's sale to the ISL club is the latest feather in the cap of the management at Chennai City. Ajith joins Nandhakumar Sekar (Odisha FC), Michael Soosairaj (to Jamshedpur and then ATK Mohun Bagan), Romario Jesuraj (FC Goa), Edwin Vanspaul (Chennaiyin) and Sinivasan Pandian (Chennaiyin) in the list of players transfers which has earned Chennai City a sizeable fee in the last few years.

Add Pedro Manzi's sale to Japanese second division club Albirex for a record fee and the numbers become even more impressive.

At Chennai City, they are okay to sell talented players because they are supremely confident in their ability to keep finding new ones. "There are certain players who will do well for a few years and when it is time for them to go to the next milestone, we let them leave with our best wishes," club owner Rohit Ramesh told Goal.

"Even if we lose players, we are not going to be in a situation where we can't find more players. We know exactly where to dip in to find these players.

"The person who is coaching and the management carry that vision come what may. Fortunately for us, with Akbar Nawas at the helm, we found Ajith Kumar, and now we will find someone else. He has to get complete credit along with Jordi Vila (former assistant coach). My supporting staff also has that vision. In Ajith's case, I was contemplating what to do and everyone around me was like, we will find someone else. That is the best way to rebuild, that has been part and parcel of this club."

Singaporean head coach Akbar Nawas replaced V Soundararajan at the Coimbatore-based club in 2018 and the club has since managed to step up their proceedings on and off the field. They stormed to an I-League title win in the 2018-19 season using a well-balanced mix of foreign and local talents in the squad, all the while sticking to the club's vision of promoting local talent.

"From the start of our tenure in I-League, the predominant focus was to ensure that we give a chance to our state players. we felt that local players have the potential," Rohit added."With regards to the club philosophy, that is something we try to explain to whoever comes on board. It depends on the coach, if they believe in the philosophy, that is when things click automatically. In that way, I should give 200 per cent credit to Akbar Nawas. If it wasn't for him, we would not have achieved this kind of a level," Rohit credited the club's head coach and his former assistant coach for taking up the project in the way he envisioned it.

Rohit feels that the club do not want to stand in the way of players because of the fact that it helps the player develop and grow in his career while fetching the club a good transfer fee as a return on their investment on him. Moreover, it paves the way for more local talents to get the opportunity to experience football at the highest level.

"Initially, when he came on board, we had an open discussion and I told him that these are the players which we have and we want to use them as a benchmark. Slowly, when these players leave, we can add more players. He believed in this project and that is when the project really kickstarted and it had more value."

"We are also not in a position to hold onto a player (like) he has to be here. Our vision is clear. If a proper evaluation is met and if we feel that the player will develop in his career with another club, we show him the path. We tell them about the offer and what he is getting. There were instances where players could have gotten paid but they preferred this path (to stay at Chennai City)."

Regardless of the player sales, Chennai City continues to be a force to be reckoned with on the field and that is where the club's talent management scores top the charts. They are currently playing in the group stage of the AFC Cup and are set to resume their continental sojourn next month.

With players leaving, you expect officials at the Chennai City headquarters to be worried. But they should not be worried. What does Chennai City do when their stars leave? They make new ones.

2020-08-27 10:00:03